YHA Eskdale

About YHA Eskdale

Number of beds: 47ClassroomsMinibus parking

Packages and bolt-ons available here

Great for nature lovers with our woodland trail, wildlife hide and outdoor classroom

Situated on the quieter side of the Lake District National Park is a gem of a hostel, YHA Eskdale. This purpose-built, 43 bed hostel, offers grounds to the front of the hostel for games and activities and extensive woodland grounds to the side and rear. The woodlands hide a fully mapped out nature trail, solar panel garden, wildlife pond, secluded nature hide, outdoor classroom and even a replica Celtic roundhouse with an outdoor oven! Plus, if that’s not enough, the hostel itself features a good sized class/meeting room and a homely lounge/dining area with an open fire and views out to the garden and hills beyond.

The hostel offers amazing opportunities for school groups. Primary schools looking for a taste of history will love our Roman themed package. Our hands-on sessions allow pupils the opportunity to design their own Roman shields and practice formations before heading out on the one-and-a-half mile walk to the Hardknott Roman Fort. Here they can try out their new skills in an awe-inspiring location and home to the best preserved Roman Parade ground in the UK. Other activities include archery, an archaeological dig, timeline activities, writing postcards in Latin, learning about Celtic life in our replica roundhouse and our very special Roman Banquet.

For teachers requiring a residential that’s not purely focused on history, our Discovery and Multi-Activity packages mix together our classic Roman sessions with team building activities or more adventurous sessions such as Ghyll scrambling, abseiling and climbing - all delivered by our expert partners at Mere Mountains.

As well as providing our own delivery packages YHA Eskdale makes a great base for school groups looking to lead their own activities. Local attractions including L’aal Ratty, Eskdale’s narrow gauge steam railway, Eskdale Mill - the oldest working corn mill in England, and Stanley Ghyll waterfalls are always popular. Just ask Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community school, winners of the inaugural School travel Awards for Best Residential trip 2016 based on their annual trip to our wonderful hostel!

It’s not just all about Primary schools though as YHA Eskdale becomes popular for older groups studying a range of subjects including geography, geology and biology. Our classroom makes a great study room to follow-up on the day’s fieldwork. The hostel itself sits in a glaciated valley with good access to the local hills, tourist village of Coniston, local rivers and woodlands, plus coast and sand dune systems only a short drive away, making it perfect for a range of fieldwork. Don’t forget you can always bolt on some adventurous activities to add something a little different to your stay

Finally, social groups will also find YHA Eskdale an enchanting and exhilarating option for a fabulous group getaway. We’re surrounded by great walks, with super views from Harter Fell, and access for routes going from just outside our door. Plus great cycling challenges, especially if you want to take on the challenge of Hardknott Pass. Our grounds offer the opportunity to enjoy wildlife, or take a drink from our licensed bar and sit quietly taking in the views. Catering is also available for all of our groups, so you won’t even need to cook after a long day on the hills. Our delicious groups menu offers plenty of variety and we’ll be as flexible as possible to fit meal times in with your itinerary.

In 2016 Kirk St Ella St Andrew's Community Primary School won the My Best School Trip Award for their trip to YHA Eskdale. The judges were particularly impressed with the learning outcomes and the school are planning to spend their prize money on more trips to YHA Eskdale where pupils will get to visit a zoo, study conservation and do some hill hiking.

Testimonials

YHA Eskdale work with us closely to help create the perfect educational visit year after year and adapt to the changes we make in each new visit. Prices are fair and allow us to provide excellent value for money to our parents and the meals provided are superb.

Packages available at this hostel

History package

Suitable for ages 7-13

Prices from

£38

per person per night*

(+VAT)

Immerse yourself in the past

Under the shadow of the Hardknott Roman Hill fort and with a purpose-built Celtic roundhouse and gathering area, YHA Eskdale makes the perfect destination to gain hands-on experience of the Iron Age and Roman periods. Watch as your students perfect the art of the testudo, create Roman and Celtic crafts and immerse themselves in the past.

Activities

Discovery package

Suitable for ages 7-13

Prices from

£38

per person per night*

(+VAT)

Flexible programme of fun and challenges

Designed to enable teachers to create their own stay, our Discovery package offers a flexible programme of fun, challenging and memorable experiences that can be tailored to support the educational needs of your group. Great for building team work and communication skills.

Activities

Multi-Activity package

Suitable for ages 8+

Prices from

£64.50

per person based on a two night stay

(+VAT)

Challenges for the brain and body

Full of challenges for the brain and body our multi-activity packages are designed to engage participants through practical PE based activity. This package offers a mixture of adventurous and on-site activities that make the most of the great outdoors and the hostel locality.

Activities

Alex Rider Spy Academy

Suitable for ages 8+

Prices from

£64.50

per person based on a two night stay

(+VAT)

Test your pupil's mettle with this spy training

Ignite your student’s imagination, enjoy adventures in the great outdoors and spark a love of reading with our Alex Rider Spy Academy package. We’ve teamed up with Walker Books and author Anthony Horowitz to bring you team building challenges and spy training that will test pupil’s mettle as potential new secret agent.

Alex Rider Mission Briefing

Suitable for ages 7-13

Prices from

£38

per person per night*

(+VAT)

Train the next secret agents

Ignite your student’s imaginations enjoy adventures in the great outdoors and spark a love of reading with our two YHA Alex Rider packages: Alex Rider Spy Academy and Alex Rider Mission briefing. We’ve teamed up with Walker Books and author Anthony Horowitz to bring you team building challenges and spy training that will test pupils’ mettle as potential new secret agent.

Activities

Optional Bolt-on activities at YHA Eskdale

Perfect for groups looking to fill free time, our bolt-on activities can easily be added on to your YHA stay. Available as half-day and full-day options, we offer an exciting range of activities that are designed to entertain and engage pupils of all ages and abilities.

Activities

YHA bolt-on

Activities delivered by trained and experienced staff

Available at all the hostels that offer YHA packages, this bolt-on offers challenging problem solving and team building activities delivered by our very own trained and experienced staff. Activities are run on hostel grounds, meaning you don’t need to travel anywhere.